Bridge Street Ministries

Bridge Street Ministries Bridge Street Ministries is a Christ-centered, urban ministry with an emphasis on community development and discipling youth. Find out more at bsmgr.org.

MISSION|WHEN WE DO THIS - Equipping and empowering youth, through holistic development, to be the future leaders of restoration and hope in their communities. VISION|WE WILL SEE THIS - The shalom of Christ reflected through transformed lives that cultivate thriving communities. MEANS|HOW WE DO IT Prayer, Intimacy with Jesus, Action


Knowing Jesus is our foundation. All else is rubbish in comparis

on (Phil. 3:8). Making Jesus known begins with us knowing Him (Col. 1:9,10). Our desire to make Jesus known is the overflow of the love and passion that He puts in us as we seek Him. Making Him known starts with the marginalized in our neighborhood around us. And then we work to equip and empower young people to go and make Him known in the world around them. In doing this, we strive to build a bridge: a bridge between the streets and the church. To us, “the streets” imply much more than a physical location, a demographic population, or an economic circumstance, but rather the hopelessness and despair that comes from a life without Jesus. And “the church” is much more than the four walls of our building on Sunday morning. It’s even more than our programs throughout the week or even the fellowship that we enjoy. By “church” we imply the abundant life that Jesus offers (John 10:10) and all of the beauty and life that comes with following Him. This is the gap that we desire to bridge. Calling people out of darkness (or “the streets”) and into the marvelous light of Jesus (or “the church”) (I Pe. 2:9,10). At the same time, we challenge those in the church to take to the streets and give themselves to proclaiming good news to the poor (Is. 61:1-4). We work to provide an avenue for both.

We're looking forward to sending Derek off in style with a big celebration as he concludes his 21 years of faithful serv...
07/09/2026

We're looking forward to sending Derek off in style with a big celebration as he concludes his 21 years of faithful service at Bridge Street Ministries. Plan to drop by anytime during the open house to say congratulations and goodbye. At 6pm, we'll have a special time to honor Derek and pray over him and his family. Hope to see you there!

Resurgence summer programming is in full swing.Our mission all comes down to showing up for our students and we're so gr...
07/07/2026

Resurgence summer programming is in full swing.
Our mission all comes down to showing up for our students and we're so grateful to be able to do just that. From fun field trips to activities like golfing, hiking, and coding, our students are spending time in community, in nature, and in the Word of God. We're also grateful for Starlight Ministries coming alongside as staff and students process grief, and for God's continued faithfulness as we navigate a season of transition.


We are so excited to introduce Nelson Koon, our new Operations Director! Nelson joined our staff just over a month ago, ...
07/02/2026

We are so excited to introduce Nelson Koon, our new Operations Director!

Nelson joined our staff just over a month ago, and has already been a wonderful addition to our team. As we journey through a season of transitions, some painful and some cause for celebration, we celebrate who Nelson is and how he’s been called to serve the Bridge Street Ministries team in this season.

Nelson is an ordained minister and holds a B.A. in Community Outreach. He began his career as the lead pastor of a church in Wyoming, Michigan. After seven years of serving the local
church, he moved to South Africa, where he spent nearly five years as the Operations Director for Orchard:Africa. Upon returning stateside—now with a rescue dog from Africa by his side—Nelson joined the staff at Dégagé Ministries. He served there for six years, first as the Operations Director and later transitioning into the role of Community Engagement Director.
Currently, alongside his work at Bridge Street Ministries, Nelson is finishing his master’s degree in counseling. In his free time, he loves hanging out with his dog, Roo, reading, building LEGOs,
and spending as much time camping and hiking as his new boss will allow.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, prayed for us, sent a note, wrapped us in a hug, or dropped off flowers or so...
06/24/2026

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, prayed for us, sent a note, wrapped us in a hug, or dropped off flowers or something to eat. The past week and a half have been devastating, and we’ve been sustained by God’s grace and your support. The road ahead of us is long; we will miss Jalen every single day for the rest of our lives, and we will honor his legacy of Christ-like service as we move forward.

We were especially touched yesterday, when several van loads of young people from a partner church stopped by unexpectedly just to pray.

We believe God is near to the brokenhearted, and that he will see us through this. We grieve with our ultimate hope in Christ, and we remain committed to our mission to equip and empower youth. Thank you for continuing to uphold Jalen’s family and friends, our team, and our students in prayer.

We are thrilled and humbled to have been awarded a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation's Commun...
06/03/2026

We are thrilled and humbled to have been awarded a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation's Community Health Matching Grant! We are so grateful for community partners like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and matching partner Amway who understand the importance of investing in holistic youth development as a key part of community health and thriving.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!




Thank you to Shelley of The Shelley Irwin Show for being a part of the Good News Gala last week! We're grateful for comm...
05/28/2026

Thank you to Shelley of The Shelley Irwin Show for being a part of the Good News Gala last week! We're grateful for community partners like Shelley who help us share the hopeful news of what can happen when we come together to invest in our youth.

Guests describe their reasons for wanting good news and more,

What a night! The Good News Gala was truly a bright spot for our team and the many people who came together to celebrate...
05/21/2026

What a night! The Good News Gala was truly a bright spot for our team and the many people who came together to celebrate God's faithfulness, the potential of young people, and the mission of Bridge Street Ministries.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of this evening. What a beautiful thing to be in this together!



And that's a wrap on Grand Rapids Bridge Year 2025/26! This group amazed us with their commitment to forming a beloved ...
05/13/2026

And that's a wrap on Grand Rapids Bridge Year 2025/26! This group amazed us with their commitment to forming a beloved community across all kinds of differences. They leaned in when things were hard and grew by leaps and bounds. We are forever grateful for their joy, humor, persistence, and the light they each carry. May the Lord bless and keep these young people as they step into what's next.


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1034 Bridge Street
Grand Rapids, MI
49504

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